conditions that will be placed upon her by the industry. There are many dark secrets and hidden experiences, often extremely violent in nature connected with regards the music business. So girls, take this warning, be careful and protect yourselves! I leave you with a quote from the American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson which I think says it all, “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” What have been the biggest challenges and what advice do you have for up-andcoming musicians and artists? The biggest challenge with regards starting out on a musical path is connected with believing in yourself and having the confidence to do what you dream of creating. I always share this quote that I love by the American philosopher, poet and journalist Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) — “Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.” It is vital that you believe in yourself and share the love of your music and the music that you love. It doesn’t matter how many people you are playing to or how big your audiences are. If you truly love what you are doing you will find a way to share your music. Don’t think about the end product or result - just really enjoy the process of creating your music. It is such a beautiful gift and treasure to be a musician and I wish that everybody could have music in their lives. The world would be a better place. Katie quotes Plato: “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Our conversation digresses, and to my joy Katy is extremely interested in Doncaster. “Doesn’t Doncaster have a large Polish community?” Katy asks. “Yes,” I reply. In fact, it dawned on me that I buy Polish bread, quite a few of my local shops are Polish, and after a stint at the warehouse my boyfriend’s taught himself to speak a little Polish. Katy’s fourth and most recent album, Paszport, is written in both English and Polish. It is derived from a variety
of stories from the Polish home front, known as Armia Krajowa, the Polish Partisans and the Polish resistance movement of World War Two. Through music which re-invents those old stories, she collaborates with musicians of different genres, including klezmer, gypsy jazz and folk, to create a unique contemporary sound. ‘Mała Little Flower’ is a single from the album, released in 2012:
“I think I need to bring my music to Doncaster,” Katy says.
The song is “inspired by Irena Gut Opdyke, who was a Polish Catholic girl (b. 1922), who not only saved the lives of twelve Jews by hiding them in the basement of an SS officer’s house, but also became an effective resistance fighter with the Polish Partisans, with code name ‘Mała’, meaning ‘little’ in Polish. This song is dedicated to the memory of her fiancé Janek Ridel (pseudonym ‘Mercedes Benz’), who was killed in action the day before their wedding in May 1944.”
The ideas are flowing but our time is running out. Katy is up early because she’s visiting the survivors of Siberian war camps, and that Sunday she’s involved in a fundraiser for Armia Krajowa which will go directly towards helping World War Two veterans in Poland with their electricity bills. We say our goodbyes.
Katy describes how research for this work has opened her eyes to the centuries of oppression faced by the Polish community. She even released the album on the anniversary of the day Poland gained its independence from the Soviet Union. She is a national treasure there, often referred to by the media as ‘The Polish Björk’.
Katy sees herself as an advocate bringing Polish and British cultures together through art and music. We discuss how great it would be to see the Polish and British communities come together through music inspired by the stories of the war era and the Polish veterans who fought alongside the British.
On my way home I pass the Polish shop, advertising polski chleb (Polish bread). I’m starting to learn more about my Polish neighbors’ struggles, and my conversation with Katy Karr has made me hungry to learn more. katycarr.com End
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